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We developed a novel method to quantify adsorbed glyphosate and AMPA in soils based on an extraction utilizing Na-tetraborate, an SPE clean-up step, and subsequent LC-MS detection. Reversed phase-based separation of glyphosate and AMPA was realized after FMOC-derivatization. The quantification involved external calibration and 1,2–13C, 15N- labeled glyphosate as well as 13C, 15N labeled AMPA as internal standards. The optimum recovery for extraction was obtained with 40 mM Na-tetraborate. The method was applied in three representative soils (Kirchberg, Phyra, and Pixendorf, Austria) where glyphosate was applied by standard agricultural practices. The recovery for glyphosate extracted with 40 mM Na-tetraborate buffer was 93.5% (RSD

Background/objectivesLeadership at all levels of a large children's hospital embraced the implementation of a standardized communication process, including techniques of assertion, closed-loop communication, and a situation briefing model organization-wide.Implementation/methodsKey administrative and clinical leaders underwent training in the techniques of the ‘Clarity in Communication’ initiative. The initiative was piloted in targeted areas of the organization over 6 months. The final model for training staff and evaluation of the initiative occurred hospital-wide over an additional 18 months. Evaluation focused on the use of a standardized communication strategy across the organization, including direct observation and survey techniques.ResultsFrom October 2006 to January 2008, more than 6500 interdisciplinary staff received training. Four hundred and fifty-six observations of the standardized communication processes were recorded, with 68% of the observations occurring during patient rounds an...

Domestic ethanol production in the USA relies on starch feedstocks using a first generation bioprocess. Enzymes that contribute to this industry remain of critical value in new and established markets as commodity additives and for in planta production. A transition to non-food feedstocks is both desirable and essential to enable larger scale production. This objective would relieve dependence on foreign oil and strengthen the national economy. Feedstocks derived from corn stover, wheat straw, perennial grasses and timber require pretreatment to increase the accessibility of the cellulosic and hemicellulosic substrates to commodity enzymes for saccharification, which is followed by fermentation-based conversion of monosaccharides to ethanol. Hot acid pretreatment is the industrial standard method used to achieve deconstruction of lignocellulosic biomass. Therefore, enzymes that tolerate both acid and heat may contribute toward the improvement of lignocellulosic biomass processing. These enzymes are produced naturally by extremely thermophilic microbes, sometimes called extremophiles. This review summarizes information on enzymes from selected (acido)thermophiles that mediate saccharification of alpha- and beta-linked carbohydrates of relevance to biomass processing.

This article uses the film Dead Man to explore Michel Foucault's concept of heterotopia through two particular historico-spatial configurations that are created by the western film genre and the myths that support it. In so doing we come to understand that the predicted shift from the heterotopia of crisis to the heterotopia of deviation results in both anxiety and exteriority. I label the position between these two heterotopic spaces the subduction zone and note that this can be a space of critical inquiry.

A hypothetical link between marijuana smoking and cancer has been established based on a number of misleading assumptions. However, recent studies tend to suggest, if anything, an inverse association between marijuana use and cancers. To test the hypothesis that marijuana smoking significantly lowers the risk of developing cancer in humans, we analyzed published data from a prospective cohort study on cancer incidence among nonsmokers (NS), marijuana-only smokers (MS), tobacco-only smokers (TS), and marijuana and tobacco smokers (MTS). Using the log linear model to calculate the probability of developing each cancer form as a function of the interaction between marijuana and tobacco smoking, as well as functions of marijuana and tobacco smoking main effects whereby chi square statistics were calculated for the interaction and main effect estimates, we found that in all cases tested there was a significantly lower risk for MS compared to TS. Male and female TS had a greater probability of developing lung cancer than did MS. Males and females TS had a greater probability of developing lung cancer compared with NS. Males and female MTS had a slightly higher probability of developing lung cancer than did MS. This difference was statistically significant: chi2 = 30.51, p.00001, with a correlation coefficient of -0.75, Z = -7.84, p.05. Male and female MTS had a lower probability of developing lung cancer than did TS. This difference was statistically significant: chi2 = 71.61, p = .00003, with a correlation coefficient of 0.61, Z = 5.06, p.05.

In Nepal, the National Arsenic Steering Committee has reported the Nawalparasi district as a high-risk area for groundwater contamination by arsenic. One type of shallow well, the seesaw well, is most popular among the farmers due to its large water pumping capacity under manual operation. About 600 seesaw wells exist for irrigation water extraction for vegetable farming in the district. However, the wells have not yet been tested for arsenic. Therefore, this study was performed to generate preliminary data on arsenic contamination of the irrigation water of the three Villages: Manari, Devgaoun and Sukrauli. Some 100 water samples were collected from those wells and analyzed for total arsenic content immediately, using an ENPHO field test kit. From these, 52 samples (52%) were randomly selected for arsenic speciation and for the analysis of total arsenic by Atomic Adsorption Spectroscopy. The results show that the arsenic concentration in 65% of the wells exceeded 50 µg l−1 and in 36%, 100 µg l−1. A calcu...

Pot experiments with soils from three contaminated sites and an additional field experiment were conducted. The aim of the experiments was to test different organic and inorganic soil amendments to heavy metal uptake and to alleviate toxicity in different agricultural crops. Elements in the extracts were measured by plasma emission spectroscopy (ICP‐AES). Cadmium in the extracts was measured by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), with a heated graphite‐tube system (HGA). The results of the experiment were statistically evaluated by the LSD test. Almost all treatments had positive effects on crop productivity or reduced heavy metal uptake. Organic manures especially reduced manganese (Mn), chromium (Cr), and nickel (Ni) uptake. Iron (Fe) oxides contained in red mud, a by-product of the aluminum industry, reduced soil to plant transfer of zinc (Zn), Ni, cadmium (Cd), and Cr. The results from these experiments show that it is necessary to select and combine amendments taking into account both site...

The present work describes results of pot experiments and field studies including three contaminated sites in Bangladesh. The aim was to investigate possible differences between cereal varieties with regard to heavy metal uptake and accumulation. A total of 10 rice (Oriza sativa L.) and 3 wheat (Triticum aestivum) varieties were studied. Soil samples were digested with HCl:HNO3 (3:1), and plant samples were digested with a HNO3:HClO4 (5:1) mixture in closed systems. All elements with exception of cadmium (Cd) and mercury (Hg) were measured in the extracts by plasma emission spectroscopy (ICP‐AES). Cadmium was measured by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), with a heated graphite‐tube system (HGA). Mercury was measured by AAS, using mercury‐hydride system (MHS‐20). The rice variety BR‐14 exhibited the highest yield and in most cases the lowest heavy metal accumulations at harvest. Wheat varieties showed significantly different heavy metal accumulation. It can be concluded that selection of cerea...

Even within temperate climatic zones such as Central Europe, soil erosion contributes mainly to soil degradation. Soil erosion models offer the possibility to estimate the influence of various parameters on the soil erosion process and allow for estimating the effects of management practices on soil erosion. One input parameter of the widely used Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) is the R‐Factor, which describes the influence of rainfall and runoff on soil erosion. This study elaborated R‐Factor values for three Alsace meteorological stations. The availability of long recording periods for two of the three stations offered the possibility to compare the accuracy of R‐Factor calculations based on different lengths of evaluation periods. Depending on the investigated station, between 30 and 40 years of observation would be necessary for receiving an R‐Factor with the highest possible accuracy. However, after 15 to 20 years of observation, the mean R‐Factor values can be regarded as sufficiently indicative...

Two well drained pedons from deeply weathered level terrace of Madhupur Tract were studied. Silt and clay fractions were determined by pipette sampling method and sand fractions by dry sieving. The sand fraction distribution was bimodal. The pedons consisted of three weakly stratified segments. A large amount (78–95 %) of materials of these segments belonged to the suspension population during transportation. The saltation population contained 5–20 % of the sediment, whereas the traction population only 0–0.1 %. The increase of coarser material content against depth in these pedons indicate that the energy level of the transporting medium raised more and more as the phases of deposition proceeded.

Heavy metal balances of a reed bed system (soil pH>7, carbonate content about 30%) continuously flooded with sewage during 5 years indicate that only Pb, Zn, Cd and Cu were partly stored in the soil. Strong reductive conditions, high sewage percolation and metal complexation with soluble organic compounds caused a considerable leaching of Fe, Mn, Ni and Cr from the soil and formation of amorphous iron oxides

The deposition of airborne fluorine by an aluminum smelter in Upper Austria (Central Europe) during 50 years caused a storage of fluorine in the soils up to 170 g m−2, corresponding to an annual deposition up to 3.7 g m−2. The proportion of 1:50 water extractable fluorine increased with total fluorine and ranges from 25% to 37% of the total deposition, indicating an increasing risk of groundwater pollution through further fluorine input. The deposited fluorine increased the solubility of exchangeable and ammonium oxalate soluble aluminum. This is explained by ligand exchange of OH−-groups at the surface of amorphous Al-oxides with consequent dissolution of Al. Subsequently, aluminum was leached and the contents of exchangeable and oxidic aluminum in the topsoils decreased. The released OH− neutralized protons (H+) dissociating from organic matter, causing a significant decrease of the base neutralization capacity, and raising the pH of the soils.

Reflect on something you do well, something at which you are an expert. It may be cooking, playing tennis, teaching children to read, or a range of other activities. When asked to do this activity, you probably approach the task with confidence, knowing what you need to do and how you are going to do it. You can assess your own success and if you run into difficulty, you competently find a solution. In addition, you probably can tell others what they are doing right or wrong in relation to this task. It is likely you gained this expertise because, for some reason, you were motivated to practice repeatedly over a long period of time. In our work with teachers and students, we have been focusing on developing an instructional setting that fosters expertise. In such an environment, students understand what they read, learn strategies to improve their reading, feel successful, and are motivated to practice. We have been especially interested in using repeated reading as an instructional strategy to develop fluency (i.e., smooth, accurate, natural, expressive reading) with beginning readers as well as with less proficient readers. This deceptively simple rehearsal strategy involves multiple readings and provides substantial practice in reading connected discourse. It enables novices to feel like experts as they acquire fluency.

The current experiment was designed to assess whether incoming first-year medical students have more negative attitudes toward cancer patients than toward other patient groups and whether their attitudes vary with respect to patients' prognosis, age, and sex. The relation of attitudes and previous experience with cancer was also of interest. A total of 323 first- and second-year students were administered a description of a patient, with key words changing based on randomly assigned experimental conditions. Five independent variables were manipulated-four characteristics of patients and students' class year-which resulted in a 2x2x2x2x3 factorial design. Evaluative attitudes related to the degree of professional distance that students preferred to maintain with different types of patients were assessed on a six-point Likert scale. Factor analysis of the scale yielded four factors used in the data analysis. Analyses of variance demonstrated students' overall preferences for maintaining greater professional...

Summary A questionnaire designed to measure the degree of emphasis placed upon a desire for security in investment preferences was completed anonymously by 90 men and 91 women. The difference between the mean security rating of the men when compared to that of the women was not statistically significant. However, a mean security rating for 64 men and women with the occupational orientation of teaching or civil service was higher than that for the 117 other participants in the study, the difference being statistically significant at the .05 level. The results suggest that variables other than sex are more significantly related to a desire for security in decisions concerning investment preferences, and these results roughly parallel the findings of a previous study in the area of vocational choice.

The diagnosis and treatment of cancer are events that confront the patient, family, physician, and other members of the health care team. Each stage of the illness, from diagnosis to death, is characterized by individual psychosocial tasks and problems. The authors develop specific guidelines that phsycians can use for the psychosocial assessment of and intervention with the cancer patient. The overall goal is to provide the patient with hope balanced with reality of al stages of the disease. Methods are given for assessment and intervention at four specific points in the disease: (1) the initial meeting between patient and physician, (2) the completion of treatment, (3) the time when treatment fails, and (4) the terminal stage. The benefits of psychosocial assessment and intervention for the patient, family, and health care team are discussed.

Summary A previously developed 40-item inventory, designed to measure the degree of emphasis placed upon a desire for security in choosing a job or an occupation, was completed anonymously by 102 men and 91 women. The difference between the mean security score of the men when compared to that of the women was not statistically significant. However, statistically significant differences were found between mean scores of subsamples of 26 men and of 22 women with the occupational orientation of business when compared with mean scores of subsamples of 25 men and of 21 women, respectively, in education. The results imply that consideration of security aspects is appropriate to vocational decisions, but not on a differential sex basis. It is suggested that if present societal trends continue, intrasex differences in vocational choice could be expected to become more evident than intersex differences.

(1960). Measurement of Hardness of Barley and Malt with the Brabender Hardness Tester. II. Modification during Malting. Proceedings. Annual meeting - American Society of Brewing Chemists: Vol. 18, Proceedings of the Annual Meeting 1960, pp. 95-100.

(1954). The Inhibition of Barley Germination by Steep Liquor. Proceedings. Annual meeting - American Society of Brewing Chemists: Vol. 12, Proceedings of the Annual Meeting 1954, pp. 51-56.

(1967). Children's Cognitive Style and Response Modification. The Journal of Genetic Psychology: Vol. 110, No. 1, pp. 95-103.

Summary Two previously developed instruments to measure the degree of emphasis placed upon a desire for security, one in vocational choice and the other in investment preferences, were completed anonymously by 36 individuals with the occupational orientation of education. A Pearson product-moment coefficient between the measures for this relatively homogeneous vocational group was .00. The result suggests that the individual who desires security in one area of choice is not necessarily a person who tends to exhibit this trait in another area of decision.